Every time I walk through our neighborhood, I’m impressed by the care shown in the maintenance of it; from mowing and trimming to the variety of trees and shrubs. It is truly a restful, peaceful place. The beauty of the stones and monuments are equally amazing. It got me wondering about those responsible for this beauty. One person who looms large in the history of Graceland Cemetery, through his long association with Webster City Marble Works, was Henry R. Dodge.

Dodge was born in November of 1846 in New Boston, New Hampshire. He married Galatea Jenkinson in 1865. It was around 1869 that Henry first came to Webster City, though records show his first two children, Acis (1875) and Jessie (1876), were both born back east. Six more children, all born in Webster City, would eventually be added to the Dodge family, residing on Division Street. A humorous article in the Hamilton County Journal, dated June 18, 1894, celebrates the birth of a son, John Funk Dodge. It reads, “Any person in want of a tombstone could get one cheap now. That is, we think they could, because Henry Dodge is feeling a good deal richer now than he was the other day. It came upon him last Wednesday in the shape of a ten pound boy. Mother and child doing well, and Henry, as we say, is feeling first rate”.

Henry became a partner in the Marble Works in March of 1879; the business was then located on Seneca Street, two doors south of the Post Office. By 1882 he was the sole proprietor of the company. A few years later he took on another partner, George W. Baker. Dodge and Baker became the longest-tenured partnership in Hamilton County before the association ended in 1926. The craftsmanship of their company was known throughout the state and beyond. In the Webster City Freeman of August 20, 1901, is an article describing the new monument to W. C. Willson. It states, “It was purchased through the firm of Dodge & Baker, is perfect in every respect and the difficult task of setting it up was accomplished without accident or the slightest injury to the stone. It stands as a fitting memorial to the memory of Hamilton County’s most distinguished citizen.” The Willson monument is a full 20 tons in weight.

The front page of the Webster City Journal of April 15, 1926, contains two distinct articles about Henry Dodge. One is about a change in ownership of the Marble Works; two of the sons, Warren and John, became partners with their father as G. W. Baker was bought out as a co-owner. Baker retired to Eagle Grove, where he is now buried. The same newspaper also carried Henry Dodge’s obituary; he died the previous day at his final residence of 777 Walnut Street. His obituary sums up his life; “Henry Dodge was a good man in every sense of the word.”

Researching the life of a past Webster City resident is fun and personally rewarding. I am so grateful for those who established and maintain the Digital Archives of Hamilton County website. It is a real joy for this historian, as it is a privilege, to be able to write about those who have contributed to the community of Webster City. Please feel free to contact me for ideas on who I might look up in Our Neighborhood. My email address is: michael.eckers@gmail.com

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